re: Saban on 40 times at combine

quote:

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The USA Today from 1986 4.12 mark...is that hand timed?

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I'll answer this honestly, since I don't actually think you are trying to flame.

Remember, the NFL combine didn't start till 1982. And it took until 1985 for all 28 teams to participate in it. It was held in New Orleans in 1984 & 1986. I'm pretty sure they didn't have laser timed 40's back then (I have no knowledge if this is true or not, just an assumption). However, they did have multiple runs & multiple timers at the time. Out of all of the timed events, the results were deliberated on (just like now), and Bo had a "verified" 4.12 forty. Unlike Deion, who supposedly ran a sub 4.2, but it wasn't official. Instead his official time was reported as 4.28.

So, in a nutshell, Bo Jackson has the fastest official 40 time at the NFL combine all-time.

ETA: Good article on it... History by the numbers